Featured Author: Lori Jones

Lori Jones was here with her first book, Growing Up Beautiful, A Novel About Models in Milan, and it's my pleasure to have her back to talk about the sequel to that book, The Beauty of a Second Chance.

About the book:

Sixteen years after their European adventure, ex-models Star, Joanne and Casey reunite over lunch and realize they have a lot to talk about.

On Star’s wedding day, her soon-to-be mother-in-law drops a bomb that threatens her marriage and future security. Joanne becomes a reluctant volunteer out to protect a park against development while hesitant to lower her guard for love. Casey struggles to find a job while trying to be her daughter’s friend instead of enemy, and wonders how she can get her son’s Little League coach to play fair.

Now, older and wiser, will these three women use this second chance at friendship to help one another find success and happiness.

Interview with Lori Jones

What’s the story behind the title The Beauty of a Second Chance?
The Beauty of a Second Chance is the sequel to Growing up Beautiful. I wanted to use a word that would tie the two novels together. "Beauty" captured the physical essence of the first book and the spiritual aspect of the second one.

Tell us about your series. Is this book a standalone, or do readers need to read the series in order?
I wrote the sequel as a standalone book. With that said, there is a big surprise in The Beauty of a Second Chance that may alter the reading experience of Growing up Beautiful. As far as the series goes, I had no intention of writing another book about Star, Joanne and Casey. I changed my mind after repeatedly hearing one particular question from readers at book signings and book groups: “What happened to the girls after they returned to America?”

How did you create the plot for this book?
The plots are based on real life situations that I saw, heard about, and experienced myself. Once I had the basic information in place, I put my characters in scenes that would create the most conflict possible for their particular personalities.

What’s your favorite line from the book?
“All three of us trying to get our act together. It’s like frickin’ déjà vu, but with more wrinkles and less time.”

Is your book based on real events?
Yes. One storyline deals with a community divided after an influential and powerful individual wanted to build a private office - that included an amazing ocean view - on public parkland.
 
Tell us about your favorite scene in the book.
Honestly, there are so many scenes I really like, starting with Casey at the doctor’s office. It was based on one of my postnatal visits where I refused to believe I had gained ten pounds instead of losing ten. And yes, a nurse did get up on the scale to prove me wrong!

Who are your favorite authors?
Amy Tan, Lisa See, Sophie Kinsella. And of course the classics, Steinbeck, Jane Austen, Hemingway, and Margaret Mitchell.

What’s one pet peeve you have when you read?
When I lay down to read, my cat likes to lie on top of the book and stare at me, making it impossible to do so.

What’s one of your favorite quotes?
"Before you speak, ask yourself, is it kind, is it necessary, is it true, does it improve on the silence?" ~ Sai Baba

Love that. What’s your favorite candy bar?
It’s not a bar but a bag of See’s Dark Bordeauxs.

What are you working on now?
I am the process of outlining my next book. It takes place in the 1970s and deals with teenagers who fall in love and try to deal with the ensuing problems created by their families' different belief systems. As always, I will search for the humor in this dilemma.

Connect with Lori:
Website | Blog | Twitter | Goodreads 

Buy the book:
Amazon 

 

Featured Author: Lou Aronica

Lou Aronica was here on November 1st to talk about his book Differential Equations, and I'm happy to have him back as my guest today to talk about his newest release, Flash and Dazzle, published by The Story Plant.

About the book:

What happens when everything you thought was true changes all at once? What happens when each relationship that means anything to you suddenly becomes far more real than you ever thought it would be? What happens when every moment becomes invaluable as all of them pass far too quickly?

Flash and Dazzle is the story of two friends who have known the best of times who develop a true taste for life during the worst of times. It is the story of the friends and lovers who enter their orbit, some for a long time and some only for a moment. It is the story of legacies, burdens, and the kinds of secrets that are only revealed when there’s nothing left to tell.

It is a funny, moving, deeply honest novel that will inspire you to call everyone you care about and thank everyone you know for what they’ve given you.

Interview with Lou Aronica

Lou, several of your books are bestsellers. How long have you been writing, and how did you start?

I’ve been writing professionally for ten years now. Before that, I did a great deal of thinking about writing, but never quite committed to it. When it actually happened, it happened in a sideways fashion. I sold The Forever Year to Tor based on a lengthy proposal with the understanding that I would hire a writer to write the actual manuscript. When it came time to do that though, I realized that I was much too close to the story to let anyone else write it. I remember being absolutely terrified when I realized that I had to actually create the novel rather than simply creating the idea for the novel. It took me days to get the first words down because the entire process seemed so daunting. I’d been around books professionally for more than twenty years at that point, but it wasn’t until that moment that I fully appreciated the effort required to write an entire novel.

Do you have another job outside of writing?

I’m also the publisher of The Story Plant, the imprint that is publishing Flash and Dazzle. The Story Plant publishes about thirty-five new books every year, and Flash and Dazzle just happens to be one of them. I’m a bit self-conscious about it, if you want to know the truth. When I presented this book to our distributor, I started by saying, “This book is awful, but the author is one of the company’s principals so we had no choice.”

I started my career on the business side of publishing. I was Deputy Publisher of Bantam Books and then Publisher of Berkley and Avon. I’ve always loved the book business, and I’m very excited about the opportunities created by digital publishing.

These days, I split my time fairly evenly between writing and The Story Plant. We’ve put together a great team of authors and publishing professionals at The Story Plant, but I also greatly value the time I can spend alone writing.

It sounds like you have the best of both worlds. How did you create the plot for Flash and Dazzle?

The entire plot for Flash and Dazzle came to me while I was at the playground with my daughter. Before that, I only knew that I wanted to write a novel about male best friends. Then, while I was pushing her on the swings, the situation – a couple of successful guys in their late twenties living the dream in Manhattan, whose understanding of friendship changes completely when one of them gets sick – popped into my head. I had all of the major plot points in place by the time we left the playground that day.

How do you get to know your characters?

I spend a tremendous amount of time developing my characters before I start writing. Much of the process involves asking myself lots of questions about them that have absolutely nothing to do with the story. When I get to the point when I can easily answer these irrelevant questions, I know I’ve formed the characters well in my head. To me, as far as fiction is concerned, everything starts with the characters. If I can make them real to readers, then readers will connect with the story. If I can’t, it’s going to be very difficult to keep readers engaged.

Which character did you most enjoy writing?

My favorite character in this novel is Eric Dazman, the best friend of the narrator. Eric is goofy and loose, but also supremely competent and caring. I love that combination. Eric is also carrying a very heavy burden that he doesn’t want to impose on anyone else, which made him endlessly interesting to write about.

Tell us about your favorite scene in the book.

My favorite scene happens about halfway into the novel when Rich, the narrator, and Eric tell each other stories – revealing stories – that neither has heard from the other before. There’s a combination of surprise and disappointment in this scene, disappointment at the realization that Rich and Eric don’t know each other nearly as well as they thought. To me, that’s the fulcrum point for the novel and I think an apt representation of what “best friendship” is often like for men.

What song would you pick to go with your book?

When I wrote this book, I had a rotation of songs playing in my head. They would just sort of “switch on” while I was writing. I’ve found this happens very often when I’m writing. I’m every easily suggestible when it comes to music. Someone will say something to me and a song with a similar lyric will be playing in my head the rest of the day. Lines that I write often prompt songs for me as well.

Ultimately, the song that best captures the spirit of this novel is Ben Folds’ “There’s Always Someone Cooler Than You.” There’s a great break in that song that goes: Life is wonderful/Life is beautiful/We’re all children of/One big universe/So you don’t have to be a chump. In many ways, that’s the core message of Flash and Dazzle.

I had the opportunity to see Ben Folds in concert this past summer. That is a great song. Okay...suppose you’re given the day off, and you can do anything but write. What would you do?

That’s easy. I would go to a great walking town (someplace like Essex, Connecticut or Nyack, New York, assuming that I only had one day and had to stay nearby) with my family. We’d have great music playing on the drive there, then explore the shops, get lunch at one of the fine local restaurants, explore some more shops, get coffee from an indie coffee house, explore some more shops, and then stop somewhere for a snack for the kids. I would abstain...or not.

What would your dream office look like?

It would have a wraparound window with a view of Mt. Etna. This would require the office to be in Taormina. Really, just about any office in Taormina would be a dream scenario for me.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I have no shortage of hobbies. I love cooking and try to make dinner for my family every night. I’m a huge music fan and an amateur songwriter with a recording setup in my basement. I’m also a sports (especially baseball) and pop culture junkie. I love reading, but I tend to do very little reading during my off time because I do so much reading during the day.

What are you working on now?

Right now, I’m writing a major nonfiction book on education with Sir Ken Robinson. Sir Ken was knighted in the UK for his contributions to education, so this book is going to be a very important statement. I’m noodling with the ideas for another novel as well as a collection of novellas.

Other books by Lou Aronica

Excerpt from Flash and Dazzle

     It wouldn’t be fair to call Daz a slug. After all, he had been a third team all-conference striker in college, and he was still slim and fleet. However, getting him out of his apartment in the morning had always been a considerable task. There was the ringing the doorbell seven times before going in with my key part. There was the don’t you remember we have that meeting at 9:30 part. There was the I really don’t give a shit what your hair looks like part. Then there were the inevitable battles with toothpaste choices (Daz was the only person I ever met who kept multiple flavors of toothpaste in his bathroom), Cap’n Crunch (the only thing he deigned to eat for breakfast), and Power Rangers (which appeared on ABC Family at 8:30 every morning and from which Daz took surprising delight for someone his age.)

    On most days, by the time I got to his place to pick him up, I’d already read the relevant sections of the Times and the Journal and surfed three or four entertainment, media and business sites on the web. About a year ago, it finally dawned on me that I could sleep fifteen minutes later in the morning if I brought my bagel and coffee with me so I could have breakfast while I waited for Daz to get ready. On certain days I thought it might be smart to bring a lunch as well.

    It was this way from our first days in the City. The only difference at the beginning was that we were in the same apartment and Daz sometimes dragged himself out of bed earlier if I made enough noise or if I did something like flick water on his face after my shower. . . 

    “Who do we have a meeting with this morning? He said, coming out of the bathroom with a toothbrush in his mouth. He had different colored toothbrushes for the different flavors. The gray brush meant fennel.

    “It’s just us.”

    “Us? Like you and me?” He returned to the bathroom to spit.

    “And Michelle and Carnie and Brad and Chess.”

    “Sounds like the meeting we had at Terminal 5 last night.”

    We’d all gone there to see Beam, an incredible British trance rock band.

    “Except this time we’re going to have a serious business conversation and it won’t look as cool if your head lolls back and forth.”

    “And what will we be talking about again?” He asked this question from his bedroom, where he was almost certainly trying to decide if it was a red flannel shirt day or a blue flannel shirt day.

    “The Koreans.”

    “Motorcycles, right?” he said, sticking his face out the door.

    “Cars. Affordable luxury for twenty-somethings.”

    “Twenty-somethings want luxury?”

    “They do if it’s affordable.”

    “That’s why you’re the word guy and I’m the picture guy. I wouldn’t have a clue how to pitch this.”

    “Good thing I’m around then, huh?”

    He disappeared back into the bathroom, meaning we were somewhere between eight and fifteen minutes of departure time, assuming I kept him away from the Power Rangers . . .

    “I mentioned that the meeting was today and not in August, right?” I said, my voice vibrating from the thumping my back was receiving.

    “I’m done,” he said, walking over to stand in front of me in blue flannel. “Just a quick one-on-one with the Cap’n and we’ll be out of here.”

    I turned off the chair and got up. Daz opened the box of cereal and poured it directly into his mouth. “Let’s go,” he said, taking a swig from a milk carton and grabbing his keys.

    I gathered my stuff and we made our way out the door. Daz locked the two deadbolts and my eye fell on his keychain – a plastic hot dog that he’d burned with a cigarette lighter in honor of our first (and only) camping trip. He’d toted that thing around for the last ten years.

    “I think Michelle and I had a little thing last night,” he said as we walked out onto Broadway to begin our search for a cab.

    I laughed. “I was with the two of you the entire time. You didn’t have a thing.”

    “No, I think we might have. It was an eye thing.”

    “An eye thing as in she saw you and said hi?”

    “Don’t be a schmuck. I can tell the difference, you know. I think she kinda likes me.”

    “Daz, everyone kinda likes you. See that woman who just stepped in front of us to steal our cab? I’ll bet she likes you. You’re a likable guy. I just wouldn’t get my hopes up about Michelle if I were you.”

    “She came to my office just to see my drawings the other day. She’s never done that before.”

    “Daz, reachable goals, remember? Reachable goals.”

    “I think you might be surprised here.”

    “Surprised wouldn’t begin to describe it. Stunned speechless maybe. Or shocked to the point where I needed a defibrillator.”

    He regarded me sternly. “Why do you think I couldn’t get a woman like Michelle?”

    “Did I say that?”

    “Pretty much exactly that.”

    “You’re misunderstanding me. I’m speaking specifically about Michelle. A woman like Michelle – you know, gorgeous, smart, clever, burgeoning career – you could get a woman like that. Anytime you wanted, probably.”

    “But not Michelle specifically. Translation, please.”

    “A translation isn’t necessary. Right now, the only thing that’s important is that we find some way to get the hell downtown.”

    Eventually we took a gypsy cab, one of those out-of-town car services that roamed around the City skimming off fares from Yellow cabs during rush hours. I hated doing this – I was very loyal to my city – but at 9:05 on a weekday, it really was the best we could do.

    “If we left earlier, we wouldn’t be riding in a fifteen-year-old Impala right now, you know,” I said.

    “If we left later, we wouldn’t be doing this either.”

    “You know, it’s a good thing you’re an artistic genius. Otherwise you’d be working at Burger King. No, you’d lose your job at Burger King because you’d always be showing up late. Then you’d be out on the street collecting bottles to exchange for cheap liquor.”

    “Never happen.”

    “You don’t think so?”

    “Nope. Cause you’d be around to drag my ass out of bed so I could keep my job making French fries.”

    “Don’t be so sure.”

    “Of course you would.”

    Yeah, of course I would. If I could be relied upon for anything, it would be making sure that Daz got to work at a reasonable hour. Beyond that, as it turns out, I was lacking in an entire suite of skills best friends were supposed to have. However, he would never be homeless as long as I was around.

    We rode in silence for a couple of minutes, bucking and stopping every eight seconds or so as traffic dictated. Then something caught Daz’s eye and he pulled out the sketch-pad he always carried in his backpack and started drawing.

    “What are you doing?”

    “That jogger we passed gave me an idea.”

    I hadn’t even noticed a jogger. “An idea for what?”

    “For the Space Available campaign.”

    Space Available was a custom-built closet company whose account we recently acquired. How a jogger related to this escaped me.

    “Let me see,” I said, leaning toward him in the seat.

    He pulled the sketchpad back. “Not yet.” He smiles over at me. “I want to show it to Michelle first.”

    “She’ll never love you like I love you, Daz.”

    “There’s another thing we can all be thankful for.”

    He drew for a big longer, and while I knew there was a very good chance this brainstorm of his wouldn’t produce anything – so many of our ideas didn’t – I was curious. I tried to angle my eyes over without appearing too obvious, but Daz was doing a great job of blocking my view. Finally, he closed the sketchbook and returned it to his backpack, glancing out at the street as though there was nothing to this.

    “Traffic’s a bitch today,” he said. “We really should have left earlier. You gotta get on the beam, Flaccid.”

About the author:

Lou Aronica is the author of the USA Today bestseller The Forever Year and the national bestseller Blue. He also collaborated on the New York Times nonfiction bestsellers The Element and Finding Your Element (both with Ken Robinson) and the national bestseller The Culture Code (with Clotaire Rapaille). Aronica is a long-term book publishing veteran. He is President and Publisher of the independent publishing house The Story Plant.

Connect with Lou:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads |

Buy the book:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple | IndieBound

Featured Author: Annie Wood

CLP Blog Tours brings Annie Wood here today, to guest blog about finding time, to talk about her romantic comedy, Dandy Day, and to treat us to an excerpt from the book. Plus, don't miss the Rafflecopter at the end of this post for a chance to win a $20 Amazon gift card.

About the book:

Dandy Day is a thirty-five-year-old free spirited commitment-phobic, Venice Boardwalk roller skating waitress. When Dandy is suddenly dumped by her therapist, right when they were on the brink of figuring out why her relationships last only a whopping three months, Dandy decides to take her relationship issues into her own hands.

With the reluctant help of her lifelong best friend, Simon, Dandy tracks down her exes one by one and does a relationship autopsy on each of them in order to get to the bottom of her relationship challenged life.

Interview with Annie Wood

Annie, by my count, this is your fifth book, plus you write screenplays and a web-series. How long have you been writing, and how did you start?

I remember, around the age of six or so, having an idea about a leprechaun and a pot of gold. The idea was immediately followed by an intense need to write it down. The point of the story was that instead of the pot of gold being on the other side of the rainbow, the leprechaun had the pot of gold all along. It was under his hat. (I didn’t know how to spell leprechaun back then and I still don’t now. Spell check is my favorite invention.)

How did you come up with the title Dandy Day?

I like old-timey phrases, so I once I told someone to have a “dandy day.” Then the thought occurred to me, what if their name was Dandy? And, like Doris, what if their last name was Day? Would they constantly feel pressure to have a dandy day because they are Dandy Day? These are the things that keep me up at night. Until I write them down. So, I did.

Do you have another job outside of writing?
 
I’m an actress, on-camera as well as voice-over. I also write comedic scenes for actors on a “writer-for-hire” basis.

In the past I have done all sorts of stuff. I was a nanny, I taught acting to kids and teens, I sold Bonsai trees and rain sticks that I made at swap meets, and my first real job was as a front office receptionist at a talent agency when I was 15.

Wow. I am such a slacker. How would you describe your book in a tweet? (140 characters or less.)

A short novel about love, friendship and grown ups, (sort of), growing up (sort of).
#DandyDay

Do you have imaginary friends? When do they talk to you? Do they tell you what to write or do you poke them with a Q-tip?

They wake me up in the middle of the night! Usually whatever characters want to be written about next. The characters nudge me and then put them in situations. That’s usually how it works for me. They don’t poke me with a Q-tip though. They gently massage me. (I’ve trained them well.)

In that case, can you have your imaginary friends talk to my imaginary friends? I love massages...but I digress. When you start a new book, do you know what the entire cast will be?

I usually know the main character. After I allow myself to get to know him/her better, they introduce me to their friends, like a host at a party.

As it should be. Which character did you most enjoy writing?

Simon’s niece, Ashley and Dandy’s Grandpa. I love writing kids and seniors. I feel a great respect for kids and seniors because I think they know things the rest of us have either forgotten or haven’t learned yet. Plus, there’s such a freedom in being very young and being very old. You usually say what you mean and mean what you say, without a filter. That’s appealing to me.

I’m constantly on the lookout for new names. How do you name your characters?

I love this question! (Actually all of your questions are damn good.) Why thank you! I enjoy name searching. I’m in Italy right now, and I’ve been keeping a list of Italian names of people I meet for my next book. (Part of it takes place in Italy.) I sometimes, with permission, use friends’ names. I also search online sometimes for baby names that were popular when my characters were born.

What would Dandy say about you?

Dandy would be very impressed with my happily married state. Then I would remind her that I had to go through much of what she went through before I was rewarded with this curtain state of being. Then we’d drink some wine and tell stories. I think we’d be pals.

Are you like any of your characters?

I was like Dandy in the over-thinking way. I was like Debbie in the free spirit way. I was like Ashley in the “tell it like it is” way. Now, I’m a calmer version of all of them. Grown up but not entirely. Never entirely.
 
Who is? What song would you pick to go with your book?

I always have a soundtrack in mind when I write something. This book was based on my screenplay by the same name and in the first scene I had in my mind the song "Tell Him" by The Exciters (1962.) I LOVE that song! The chorus repeats the line - "I know something about love" (which is what I always thought the title of the song was). The tune is so optimistic, and it was in one of my favorite movies, The Big Chill.

Is there anything in particular that you do to help the writing flow? Music? Acting out the scene? Long showers?

I sometimes create a playlist to write to. Working out on the treadmill and chilling on my hammock in the front yard helps with the flow. So does driving. I do act out the dialogue often. But mostly, when I sleep at night, those characters gently massage me awake and lead me to my office where I write by the light of the silvery moon. (If this romantic idea of the silvery moon is not practical on any given night because the moon is not at it’s silveryest, I will turn on a small, amber light and light a candle.)
 
What are you working on now?
 
Another novel (or novella, not sure yet) La Tua Casa, based on my screenplay, Martin’s Theory. It’s another romantic comedy, this time with a male lead finding the love of his life in a parallel life where he manages a B&B in Italy. Which is ironic because in his current life he hates traveling, hates the country and doesn’t much care for other people either. Here’s the logline: With the help of an eccentric professor and his book, a lonely man discovers the ability to travel to his parallel lives, falling for the woman of his dreams in one of them while trying desperately to avoid some of the others.

Thank you so much, Amy! I really enjoyed answering this terrific questions!
Love and Peace,
Annie Wood

Thanks for being here, Annie! Come back anytime.

Animated Excerpt

Excerpt from Dandy Day

Dandy:

I’m in the middle of a field, with my arms outstretched. It starts with Robert Downey Jr, then Johnny Depp, quickly followed by Colin Farrel, Bradley Cooper and then Hugh Jackman. They all come raining down upon me from the sky, each one trapped inside their own personal raindrop. I feel like I can catch them all, save them all and then, by doing so, save myself. I reach out my arms, preparing to gather the man-droplets but something goes horribly wrong. They are much heavier than I expected, and it turns out the raindrops are made of glass. The weight of the droplets is just too much for me so I drop them and then watch in horror as they loudly crash to the ground. Bradley, Hugh, Colin, all of them shatter into a million little pieces right before my very eyes. All because I wasn’t able to hold on.

I think about crying, but instead...

I wake up.

My alarm clock is playing the same tune it always plays, I Know Something About Love. I’m a fan of irony. My recurring raining-men dream doesn’t bother me so much anymore. I’ve grown accustomed to it. Although, there’s always a moment, when I’m watching them slip through my fingers, where I’m deeply saddened. Saddened because I know it’s inevitable.

The crash.
The shatter.
The end.

I grab my breakfast, which consists of one large chocolate Yoo-Hoo, and I put on my roller skates. I remind myself to try a strawberry Yoo-Hoo one day to shake things up a bit. It’s another sunny day on the Venice boardwalk and I’m ready to skate on over to my head-shrinking visit. Why am I getting my head shrunk? Because, I live in Los Angeles. It’s what we do here. Besides, my health insurance covers it and I was curious as to what my subconscious is up to. Mostly about men. I love men. I think they love me but seemingly just in small bursts, then, “POOF” the love is gone. I can’t seem to make a relationship stick.

I’m thirty-five years old. 

I’d really like one to stick.

Other books by Annie Wood:

Guest Post

Time Finding

by Annie Wood


I’m a life long actress and writer and a big fan of creating my own stuff. Short films, web-series, books, plays, you name it, I’m creating it. I do it because I need to create. I need to create and share stories or else I’d go bonkers. Because of this driving need, I often have a continuous outflow of projects. The question I get all of the time is, How do you find the time?

My answer has remained the same for years now. “I just do it.” Sometimes the simple answer is the most honest, useful answer that was used in a Nike shoe campaign. In this hustle and bustle world, how does any of us find time to do anything at all? Because the honest, simple truth of the matter is, when we want it bad enough, we find the time. Or better yet, we create the time.

It’s true that we can’t actually create time by adding additional hours to the day but it’s also true that we can get up earlier, stay up later or replace facebook time with writing (or whatever it is you want to have the time to do). Since life is a series of choices, we, at any time, can change or add to those choices.  For me that sometimes means not going out on the weekends and waiting to watch my favorite TV show on TiVo tomorrow instead of immediately (averting my eyes while on twitter to avoid spoilers.) For me, those aren’t such huge sacrifices. If you have family obligations, by all means tend to them, but remember that your family wants you to be a complete, fulfilled, happy person so explain to them that in order for that to happen you are taking the time to get what you need to get done for yourself.  Even if that’s just thirty minutes a day, take it! You’d be surprised how quickly it all adds up and by the end of the week you could have a short story written, a new drawing, new ideas, a song, whatever it is you’re doing, it can be done if you create the time for it each day.

Seriously. Just do it.

About the author:

 
Annie was born in Hollywood, raised in the valley. She avoided the valley girl accent by speaking backwards for the first 15 years of her life. As an actress she has guest starred on several TV shows. You may remember her best in her recurring role on Becker with Ted Danson, Lara in Good Luck Chuck and as the host of her own nationally syndicated dating show, BZZZ! which she also co-produced. As a writer, she is a produced and published playwright and recently had a comedic scene in the NBC/UNIVERSAL showcase. Her web-series, Karma’s a B*tch was chosen by Virgin America as BEST OF THE WEB, and season 2 is now in the works. Her books of comedic scenes, Snapshots! & Act Up & Make a Scene have been performed on Hollywood stages and is available on Amazon. She lives in Los Angeles with her charming, Italian husband and her equally charming, Jewish/Buddhist/Italian dog, Lucy.



Connect with Annie!
Website | Blog (Annie occasionally blogs at SheWrites) | Lucy's Blog (Annie's dog, Lucy, blogs when they travel each year to Italy, where Annie's husband is from.)
Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

Buy the Book!
Amazon

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Featured Author: Caitriona Leslie

I'm excited to have Irish author Caitriona Leslie here today to talk about her contemporary romance novel, Alice-Rose.

About the book:

The year is 2011 and the place is Ireland. Libby Finn is still shadowed by grief after the death of her husband Max. The era of the ‘Celtic Tiger’ has come to an end and the young widow has managed to survive the economic downturn better than most. However, despite seeming to possess every obvious advantage, Libby is resigned to a somewhat-less-than-rosy future, and one destined, in her opinion, to be without a great romantic love.

While many, including her best friend Jules Mahon, may think that they know what’s best for the gorgeous and talented Libby, the girl herself has other plans, and they don’t include a love story!  These plans are for a place, a childhood dream, a country estate called Alice-Rose. Nevertheless, love has a way of finding those destined to have it, especially in a place where two evenly-matched hearts find the opportunity to know each other well. Libby’s dream estate becomes more than she has bargained for when it introduces her to a passionate love interest who himself has been ‘burnt by the fire of love,’ and a match played out with earthly concerns follows a difficult path to romantic paradise. 

Interview with Caitriona Leslie

Caitriona, Alice-Rose is your first book. How long have you been writing and when did you start?
I initially thought (absentmindedly) about the possibility of writing women’s fiction about ten years ago – I love a good old-fashioned love story, but there has to be more to the story than a gallop to the end. I want to enjoy the journey along the way, and I want a book where every sentence is worth reading.

I eventually started writing about five years ago with little success, I found the demands of three young children incompatible with the task - I could never get a good run at it! When our youngest child started school in September 2010, I was then able to apply myself. I discovered that the more I wrote, the more I enjoyed it – escapism is a wonderful practise! It became less a case of “I should really sit down and try to write something” and much more a case of having to pry myself away from the laptop to make a meal before the children arrived home from school.

It's irritating how they always want to be fed, isn't it? Just kidding, of course. How did you come up with the title Alice-Rose?
I called the house and farm estate in the book ‘Alice-Rose’ – inspired by a quaint village in Ireland called Rosenallis.  The house is so central to the plot of the book that I felt I had no choice but to call it by the same name. I also liked the idea that people would presume that Alice-Rose was the name of the main character. In hindsight, I might have been trying to be too clever.

Do you have another job outside writing?
I do. I’m a medical scientist (laboratory technician), and I work two days a week in Dublin in the field of solid-organ transplantation. My colleagues and I work towards getting patients who are on the waiting list for any type of solid organ (i.e. kidney, pancreas, heart, lung or liver), transplanted.

Wow. From that, I hate to go to this inane question, but here goes: How would you describe your book in an elevator pitch?
It’s a heart-warming Irish tale that celebrates family, friendship and ultimately romantic love. The characters draw the reader into their world. ‘Alice-Rose’ delivers ‘feel-good’, includes a twist in the tale, has wide appeal, and ties up every loose end!

How did you create the plot for this book?
I followed the advice that you should write about what you know. I love old houses, cooking, gardening and DIY. I admire strong women, fair-minded men and people who make things happen. I value family, friendship and think that true love should be an attainable prize for all who seek it. Lastly, I’m Irish and I think this book has an essential ‘Irish-ness’ to it!

Do you outline, write by the seat of your pants or let your characters tell you what to write?
All of the above. Firstly, I play around with the plot in my head. It doesn’t have to be set in stone, but it must give me options in terms of developing the central story and drawing in some parallel story lines in order to add some interest to the tale. Secondly, I develop a very clear image of the central characters in my head. I have to know them intimately, know exactly how they think, before I begin. Then I write by the seat of my pants, even allowing the characters to dictate the story’s development on occasion.

Did you have any say in your cover art? 
Yes, I had total control of my cover art. I am happy enough with the result. However, in hindsight, I think it is a little too dark and quite difficult to pick out of a row of novels. Also, I now think that it suggests an old-world story instead of the contemporary romance that ‘Alice-Rose’ actually is. I’m learning as I go.

What books have you read more than once and want to read again?
Silas Marner by George Eliot.

What would your main character say about you?
I hope that Libby Finn would say that she really liked the way I ‘drew’ her and that she was proud of every aspect of her character.

Are any of your characters inspired by real people? 
Yes. Emily O’Rourke was directly inspired by my husband’s aunt, Aunt Olive. Olive is a wonderful person–warm and engaging. There are many scenes that were inspired by true life events also. For example, Libby’s run-in with her late grandaunt, a woman who ultimately does right by Libby, was inspired by an event in my own childhood…

Are you like any of your characters?
There are elements of my personality in all my characters...even the less likeable ones!

I like writing characters who do and say things I never would, as well as characters who do and say things I wish I could.  Do you have characters who fit into one of those categories?  Who, and in what category do they fall?
I’m afraid I have a terrible tendency to say exactly what I think, so I don’t really need to express myself through my characters. However, it’s wonderful to live out certain fantasies through them. For example, Libby Finn is independently wealthy and her wealth affords her wonderful options in terms of her choice of career and how she lives.

If you could be one of your characters, which one would you choose?
Libby Finn, definitely! Her mother, Sarah, comes in a close second. However, I’m probably most like Nora, Felicity Mahon’s housekeeper – frugal!  I spend money on the children, house and garden before I think of spending any on myself.

With which one of your characters would you most like to be stuck in a bookstore?
Felicity Mahon, as long as there was an endless supply of bourbon! I would supply the bourbon to Felicity, and she would supply the anecdotes!

With what five real people would you most like to be stuck in a bookstore?
My husband, our three children and the family cat … a person in her own right!

Tell us about your favourite scene in the book.
My favourite scene in the book is in Chapter 40, entitled ‘A Long Night at the Opera’.  Libby Finn (the main character) has gone on a date to the opera with a suitor when she bumps into another character and his mother. I actually can’t say too much as it would ruin the story for those who haven’t read it, but suffice it to say that Libby has a moment of realisation. I think her inner turmoil is vividly relayed with a “dry wit” that peppers the narrative throughout.

What song would you pick to go with your book?
I don’t even have to think about this question, I already know the answer!
"Beneath you’re Beautiful" - a song by British singers Labrinth and Emeli Sandé.

Who are your favourite authors?
Stephen King probably tops the list - I couldn’t get enough of his earlier writing!
Cormac McCarthy, Barbara Kingsolver, Alice Sebold, to name but a few.

You get to decide who would read your audiobook.  Who would you choose?
The book is told from two prospectives - that of Libby Finn and that of her would-be suitor, Dan Bryant. The story is set in Ireland so it would have to be Reese Witherspoon (with an Irish accent, of course!) and Pierce Brosnan as Dan, the older man…

Which author would you most like to invite to dinner and what would you fix me? I mean, him. Or her. In the event that you couldn’t make it Amy, I would invite David Walliams (children’s author). I know we (the entire family) would have a wonderful time - he always strikes me as being genuinely warm and very witty! I would cook Irish stew with mashed potatoes for the main course, followed by rhubarb crumble, custard and whipped cream - comfort food at its best!

Oh man, I'm sorry I can't make it! Where’s home for you?
I live, love, and write in rural County Longford, Ireland.

Name one thing you couldn’t live without.
My family - boring and predictable, but true! I am not attached to material things. I am somewhat of a technophobe and am a very low-maintenance woman.

If you could only keep one book, what would it be?
The Royal Horticultural Society’s Encyclopaedia of Gardening.

Would you rather work in a library or a bookstore?
Bookstore with teashop attached!

You’re given the day off, and you can do anything but write. What would you do?
Take a daytrip to Rockland, Maine.

Where would your dream office be?
Rockland, Maine!

Mine too! What’s one of your favorite quotes?
“A little help is worth a lot of pity.” (Heard from my late father-in-law, as well as many, many others! Some of which feature in Alice-Rose.)

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
Hang out with my family.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Longford, Ireland (home)…but with better weather!

If you could take a trip anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Sutton, Massachusetts, to visit my eighty-six-year-old aunt.

What are you working on now?
My second novel - the story runs a few years behind, but in parallel to that of ‘Alice-Rose’. The main character is called Hildegarde Mahon (German mother, Irish father), and she is a young vet who joins the veterinary practice featured in my first novel.

Hildegarde is a wonderful character!  She is logical, musical, calm, capable and kind, and not necessarily in that order. She meets Oliver Herdsman, a young widower and father to two young boys, and she is motivated to help them…

It sounds great! Come back when it's finished and tell us about it!

About the author:

Caitriona Leslie grew up in County Westmeath, Ireland. She has a Master’s Degree in Biomedical Sciences and works part-time in the field of Solid Organ Transplantation. She lives on a farm in County Longford with her husband and their three children. Alice-Rose is her first novel.



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Featured Author: Sheryn MacMunn

How do you come up with your characters?

Guest Blog by Sheryn MacMunn

One of the questions that people ask when I mention that I’ve written a novel is “How do you come up with your characters?” Readers of Finding Out especially ask how I created the character, Ruth.



Ruth is the person that people seem to love. It makes sense. Ruth is Sheila's savior with common sense advice and, let's face it, she always has food! So I wanted to share how this wonderful character found her way into the story.

While I was writing Finding Out, I was stuck on a certain storyline. Sheila needed to figure out her love life, and I wanted her to go on a date. But when I wrote the scene, it wouldn’t work. It was as if Sheila was rebelling because she didn’t want to be on the date. It was very frustrating. So I went to a two-day writer’s workshop at my local library and asked the fellow writers what to do. That's when someone suggested using someone else's romance to teach Sheila about love. I instantly had a breakthrough.



In my life, I had three strong female role models (in addition to my mother) who gave me advice about life. My Nana, Virginia; my Grammy, Rose; and my good friend, Ruth with whom I worked for years. Each of these women lived through the depression and WWII so whenever I had a problem, they always seemed to have the most perfect advice, especially about relationships.



By the time I was writing Finding Out, each of these amazing women had passed away, and I missed each of them terribly. I can truly say that I think of them every day. I was lucky to have spent hours talking with each of them over many meals, on the phone, and in letters. As a result, they live in my heart.



So, I decided to combine the best of each woman to create the 'fairy godmother' for Sheila.



From Virginia (who has a character named after her), I chose her sense of style and dressmaking. In our family, the dresses were always handmade and received many compliments. Virginia was also an amazing cook. Every Sunday we went to her house, or another family member's, for homemade Italian cooking. The character, Senita Scalese, is also a good cook and is named after my great-grandmother.



From Ruth, I chose to create the storyline about WWII. Ruth was held in Germany during the war. For her, the stories that she told were like many others so she didn't dwell on it. I did a lot of research for the WWII segment of the story, including contacting some survivors of the war who were hidden as children. I also included Ruth's relationship advice about dating and marriage.



From Rose, I took some of her greatest quotes of all time, such as "Your education has been neglected." I heard that phrase when I didn't know a piece of history or the different patterns on Spode china. The red couch in the story (and the image on the book cover) also represents my Grammy because she had a red velvet couch in her home. The last time I was with her, I looked at that couch as I walked out the door and thought of all the memories that couch held. I didn't know that would be the last I would see my grandmother alive.



All three women also had careers that were fulfilling and gave them great pride. Each was married for many decades and put their families first, which gave me the basis to be the person I am today.



They were truly from the 'greatest generation,' and I am so thankful for their wisdom. I’m also grateful that I reached out to other writers for advice and took their suggestions. Writing a novel is like taking a trip to a foreign land. You need to have a plan but sometimes, if you go off the beaten path, you can uncover something wonderful and unexpected.

About the book:

Getting dumped on the sidewalk by her live-in boyfriend of seven years and realizing that he nearly emptied their savings account is the first of Sheila Davenport's problems. At thirty-six, Sheila had thought her life was on track. But life no longer makes sense. Now she's saddled with a mortgage that's about to skyrocket, a psychotic boss, and a new employee who is unqualified and hell-bent on messing with the company's rules.



Her friends advise her to date immediately, preferably someone rich and successful, or risk being old and alone. But Sheila needs to figure out what went wrong and how she got to this place. Since Prince Charming has ruined Sheila's life, who can save her now?



Help comes unexpectedly from her elderly neighbor, Ruth Grey, who has had her own share of ups and downs. As their friendship grows, Ruth reveals her deeply moving story of survival in WWII Germany. Ruth's mesmerizing past is a powerful tale of love and revenge that provides the perspective Sheila desperately needs to put the pieces of her own life back together.



Will Sheila succeed at work or walk away? Can she save her home? And why do her friends think they have it any better?



A story of love found and lost, true friendship, and how the human spirit endures.

Interview with Sheryn MacMunn

How long have you been writing, and how did you start?

In the second grade, a teacher told me I "just wasn't a good writer." Which stuck with me for years. I had always dreamed of writing a book but didn't think I was good enough. When I met my husband, he encouraged me to follow my dream and handed me a notebook and pen. I had no idea how to 'start' a novel, though I had the novel plot in my head. There were many false starts as I stared at a blank page in terror. I even tried recording the story on a cassette (this was right before smartphones came onto the market). It was terrifying!

Thank goodness for your husband! That's wonderful that he believed in you and encouraged you. What do you like best about writing?

The best part about writing is that it takes me on a journey. The characters take over and bring me into their worlds and start to tell me their stories. Sometimes I will finish a scene and am startled to find that I am sitting in my kitchen and not in Germany or New York!

What’s your least favorite thing?

My least favorite thing is editing. It takes a village to get a book to be properly edited. Then I found my extraordinary editor, Merry Hayes who tied up all the loose ends and grammatical mistakes. It was then that I realized how critical an editor is to the writing process.

How did you come up with the title of your book?

Finding Out came to me because Sheila is finding out about the secrets in her life, how to rebuild her life, and she’s finding out about Ruth’s story. I had played with a few other titles along the way but nothing else captured the essence of the story, which is the importance of finding out who we really are.

Do you have another job outside of writing?

Yes, I work in ad sales.

Do you outline, write by the seat of your pants, or let your characters tell you what to write?

That’s a great question. I had written an outline for the novel, then I got stuck because the character of Sheila wouldn’t do what I wanted her to do. I thought I was doing something wrong, so I took a writing course and the instructor told me that I was lucky because when a character takes the lead, the story is really telling itself. But I was still stuck on the storyline because it no longer made sense since Sheila decided to go in a different direction. As an example, I had tried to write a scene where Sheila goes on a date but she just wouldn't speak. What I mean by that is whenever her date (a very cute Brit, I might add) asked a question, I couldn't think of a response to write. It was as if I watched the character sit like a lump on a log, nervous and uncomfortable. I really felt bad for her. Like she was a friend on a bad date.



After talking to a few writers, I learned that this is a great thing because my character was telling me the story. So I learned to listen to 'Sheila' and tell HER story and let the other characters develop on their own, too. I decided to join a few writing groups and discussed the situation with some fellow writers. That’s when my friend, Victoria, came up with the idea for a secondary storyline. It was an Oprah ‘Aha’ moment. I knew immediately that Sheila needed help from someone like Ruth and then the story took off from there.

I know this is an unfair question, but do you have a favorite of your characters?

Ruth is my favorite character because she is an amalgam of my two grandmothers and a good friend, also named Ruth who was much older than I. I created Ruth by using the best of all three of these ladies and some of the advice that Ruth gives to Sheila is advice that I received in my lifetime. Both of my grandmothers and Ruth have passed away so writing this character was a way to keep them alive and with me forever.

I keep a running list of possible names. How do you name your characters?

When the book was finished, I went back through the pages and made sure that the character names matched the personalities that had emerged. It was fun. I even used online name dictionaries. So here is a list of a few characters and how they got their names. I couldn't put all the definitions because it would give away the storyline, so if you have questions feel free to reach out.



Sheila Davenport - In Australia, Sheila is a nickname for all girls. By the time I was finished with Finding Out, I realized that Sheila's story is one for all women. We want to be loved, we want good friends in our lives, and we want to be able to take care of ourselves when things go bad. Sheila is the person who is good and true, but needs a little help. 'Davenport' actually means a safe haven, which is what Sheila is trying to find and trying to be for her friends and co-workers. She sticks up for co-workers when things go wrong and agrees to be maid of honor though her heart is breaking. She's the kind of person you can trust.



Ruth - I decided on the name 'Ruth' because it means friend, which perfectly defines the spirit of this character.



Baxter DeVry - Baxter got his name because it sounds like 'backstabber' and DeVry seems devilish.



Paul Lynch - the name Paul means 'small' and he's a little man in height and integrity.



Crystal - A friend's wife is named Crystal, and I just loved the name. For the character (who is nothing like my friend's wife), it was the perfect name because a Crystal is sparkling and beautiful but also cold with hard edges.



Alessandra - means defending men which is what Alessandra is all about. Plus it is just a sexy name. Made me think of her as a lioness - who would kill and eat you ;-)



Eliza - a variation of my good friend's name: 'Elisa.' She's someone you can rely on 100%.



König - means King which is how I saw Ruth's family. With all they go through, they keep soldiering on with grace and dignity.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

When I’m not writing, I enjoy spending time with my children. They are still young enough to appreciate having me around, and I just love watching them grow and develop every day. They are at an age now where traveling is really easy, so we’re looking to do more of that in the coming year. Other than that, I work full time, but if I am able to make writing my full time job, I plan to learn tennis.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Paris. I have always wanted to live in Europe and Paris is just so romantic. I would love to live there.

What are you working on now?

So many people have contacted me begging to know more about Ruth that I decided to write a sequel. This will take place in the year after Finding Out ends, and we’ll learn more about Ruth’s life after WWII and uncover the secret to some of the mysteries in Finding Out.


I can't wait to hear more about it. And thanks for giving us a look into Finding Out and how it came about.

About the author:

Sheryn MacMunn self-published her debut novel, Finding Out, in April 2012. It became an Amazon best-seller in two months, hitting the Contemporary Women and Contemporary Fiction list. Finding Out then hit best-seller status in the Single Women, Friendship, Romance, and Love & Romance categories as well. In addition to being a self-published author, Sheryn works full-time in Mobile ad sales. Sheryn attended University of Massachusetts, Lowell and received her MBA from Simmons College School of Management. She now lives in Connecticut with her family. Visit www.sherynmacmunn.com for more information.

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